Mets Sign RHP Dan Hammer to Two-Year Minors Deal for Upper-Minors Depth

The New York Mets added right-hander Dan Hammer on a two-year minor-league contract to supply upper-minors pitching depth, a move that pairs a high-velocity arm with long-standing command concerns. Hammer arrives with a reputation for swing-and-miss stuff and a statistical profile that reads as high upside and high risk.

Hammer is a 28-year-old, 6-foot-2 right-hander from Philadelphia who pitched three seasons at the University of Pittsburgh and was selected in the 13th round of the 2019 draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He has spent his professional career in the Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays organizations, was taken by the Rays in the minor-league phase of the 2024 Rule 5 draft, and became a free agent after the 2025 season.

At Double-A Montgomery in 2025 Hammer appeared in 31 games, making one start, and logged 38.1 innings with a 6.57 ERA. He struck out 40 batters in those innings, a rate that equates to roughly 9.4 K/9 for the season. MetsMinors noted Hammer did not hit the injured list last year but was frequently placed on and activated off the Developmental List, which interrupted his stretches of work.

Across his minor-league career sources list 303 strikeouts in roughly 249.2 to 249 2/3 innings, producing a career strikeout rate cited at 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Career peripherals are less flattering: outlets report a career ERA near 5.34 and a walk rate around 7.5 walks per nine innings, with one compilation listing 208 career walks. Those figures frame Hammer as a classic high-K/high-BB arm the Mets will try to refine.

Scouting details underline the appeal. Hammer’s fastball has been clocked into the high-90s, with personnel posting a free agent showcase video in which he touched 97.5 mph. Pitching coach Cam Lanzilli’s posted line read, “Free Agent bullpen in St Petersburg, FL — Added 2seam & sweeper to arsenal this year — 94.5-97.5 mph @danhammer8 pic.twitter.com/ZP2dzaUhHN.” Anthony DiComo summed the attraction succinctly: “The tantalizing part of Hammer is the strikeout numbers. He has averaged 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings in his minor league career.”

Control remains the central concern and the numbers are reported inconsistently across outlets. MetsMinors lists 29 walks and a 2.11 WHIP in 2025; The Big Lead prints 40 walks with 52 hits in 38.1 innings and a 2.113 WHIP figure that does not arithmetically align with those totals. Those discrepancies should be checked against official minor-league records before any further roster or public conclusions.

Organizationally the signing fits a need for upper-minors arms after bullpen turnover at the big-league level and expected rehabs. One analysis framed Hammer as a likely Double-A or Triple-A depth piece and as another experimental arm in the Mets’ development pipeline; if command can be tamed, the club could convert his high-90s fastball and elite strikeout profile into a usable late-inning option or depth piece for the big-league staff.